Kate Wheeling, Author at Pacific Standard

Home Archives for Kate Wheeling Page 13

Social Justice

Federal Court Upholds Students’ Right to Use Bathroom Matching Gender Identity

A federal court sided Tuesday with Gavin Grimm, a transgender student who sued the Gloucester County, Virginia, school board after it banned him from the men's restroom.

Kate Wheeling

News in Brief

New York State Lawmakers Appoint First Woman to Serve as Attorney General

The New York state legislature voted nearly unanimously Tuesday to appoint Barbara Underwood to serve as the state's attorney general, making her the first woman to hold the position.

Kate Wheeling

A police officer wears a body camera during an anti-Donald Trump protest in Cleveland

News in Brief

Amazon Markets Surveillance Technology to Law Enforcement

Amazon, one of many tech companies that have called for reform of government surveillance, is selling facial recognition services to cops.

Kate Wheeling

The Great, Chaotic Biochar Experiment

Australian plant ecologist Brenton Ladd wants to reengineer the notoriously nutrient-poor soils in the Amazon, and, in the process, save the world's trees. But first, he has to convince Peruvian farmers and non-profits—and occasionally, his own research team—that he's not just another gringo with a strange idea.

Kate Wheeling

A new report calls on California to stop issuing permits for new extraction wells.

Environment

How California Undercuts Its Efforts to Combat Climate Change

A new report details how California's bold plans to reduce oil consumption and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement could be canceled out by the state's own oil production.

Kate Wheeling

Environment

Former Oil Spokesman Is Appointed to Lead Critical EPA Office

The Trump administration has officially named Mike Stoker, an attorney and former Santa Barbara County supervisor, to lead the regional Environmental Protection Agency office overseeing California, Arizona, Hawaii, and Nevada.

Kate Wheeling

Lower Mekong fisheries are estimated to be worth $17 billion.

Environment

Big Dams Have Big Drawbacks

While cleaner than fossil fuels, large-scale hydropower dams come with steep social and environmental costs of their own.

Kate Wheeling

According to a new estimate, the Bitcoin network could be using at least as much energy as all of Ireland.

Economics

How Much Energy Does Bitcoin Actually Use?

The secretive industry is notoriously hard to track, but an economics-based model could help researchers and policymakers estimate just how much electricity the cryptocurrency requires.

Kate Wheeling

A piece of coal at the Savage Energy Terminal on August 26th, 2016, in Price, Utah.

Economics

Federal Judge Sides Against Oakland’s Ban on Coal Shipments

A federal judge in California blocked the city of Oakland's attempt to prevent the shipment of coal through a proposed cargo terminal.

Kate Wheeling

Platform Holly, an oil rig off the California coast, is now slated to be decommissioned by mid-2019.

Environment

California Is Dismantling an Iconic Offshore Oil Rig

But even as environmentalists celebrate the decommissioning of Platform Holly, they remind state officials and residents that California remains an oil state.

Kate Wheeling